The fruits of Attlee’s Labour can still be reaped

When did “modern Britain” begin? This is not a mere academic question — it is relevant to how we teach students of history and it is central to how we understand contemporary issues.

On January 29, in the House of Commons, my parliamentary colleague Rupa Huq raised the issue of the Attlee governments of 1945-51 being omitted from the A-level history syllabus at her old school.

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, responded by referring to the position in England. “The A-level history syllabus was widely consulted on before it was confirmed, and the actual detail of the exam board content is determined by exam boards themselves, which are independent, so long as they conform to the subject content, which, as I said, was widely consulted…